“I am an aspiring graphic designer from Lawrenceville, Georgia. I graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in May 2020 with a B.S. in Computational Media with a focus on people and interaction design.”
“Ever since I was a child, learning about the aspects of Lao culture has played an important role in my life.”
“I have been blessed to have grown up among the large Lao community we have here in Georgia.”
“I rarely experienced feeling isolated from my culture.”
Since 2007, I have been a part of the Laotian American Society (LAS), a non-profit organization based in Georgia that aims to promote education, spread awareness of Lao culture, and provide resources for our community.
“My parents inspired me to be involved because they are both community leaders.”
“They coordinated LAS events and galas and went to meetings at the temples.”
“As part of LAS, I was a Lao folk dancer for about 15 years performing across the metro-Atlanta area and surrounding states, proud to show off my culture to others.”
“Currently, I play Lao musical instruments as part of a Lao musical troupe that’s taught by one of my very talented close friends, Samuel Thirakoune.”
“The next step I would like to take in learning more about Lao fine arts is learning how to draw traditional motifs to incorporate them into my design work!”
“In the future, I hope to be a full time graphic designer or UX/UI designer. I am currently working on starting up my own small business making stickers and prints!”
“ I am working to include Lao text into my designs as well as including romanizations. Adding the romanization bridges the gap between the language barrier for those that, like myself, can understand Lao but are unable to read or write the language.”
“One of the greatest lessons and most difficult decisions I’ve had to make was to not give up and complete my college degree.”
“When I first entered Georgia Tech, my family had moved to Florida and soon after, my father was diagnosed with throat cancer. It was hard being a state away while my dad was struggling through his health journey. There were several times that I considered taking a break from school to go home and be with them. “
“The first semester of my senior year was especially tough because I had gotten busier than previous years. I was unable to visit my family as often and the cancer had gotten worse. Sadly, my father passed away just before Christmas of 2019.”
“With only one semester left before graduating, this loss prompted me to question whether or not I wanted to return to school. It was difficult for my family to suddenly uproot the lives they had in Florida to be closer to me in my final term. I knew that if I took a break from school, I would never go back, even if I only had one semester left of college.”
“Luckily, I stayed and became the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college. Without all of the love and support from my family and friends, I would not have gotten through that difficult time. I am forever grateful to them for pushing me to complete that milestone in my life and to keep moving forward.”
“I would like to be able to comfortably support my mother and sister as well as my grandparents so that I can repay them for all of their years of hard work and sacrifice. ”
“One of the things I am most grateful for is that my grandparents and parents have taught me how to speak Lao. When I started school, I lost my language skills and did not practice very often with my parents. I remember going to the temple or gatherings hearing ‘Oh, why don’t you speak Lao? So and so speaks very well, you should learn how to so that you can be smart okay?’”
“I used to get so upset hearing that. I felt conflicted whether to push away my culture and try to assimilate with others, or to prove them wrong and learn everything I could.”
“Today, while I am by no means completely fluent in the language, I feel proud of myself that I am able to communicate well with my family and community. I want the future generation to understand how important it is to embrace your heritage because that is something that can never be erased.”
“I’ve realized along the way that I shouldn’t be learning and embracing my culture for the sake of others, but for myself and my own future.”
“I want my future kids to know how to speak Lao, eat Lao food, and learn how to fon (Lao folk dances).”
“What I love most about being Lao is how generous and welcoming our culture is. In times of sadness, everyone comes together to “ghin taan, het boun num gun” regardless of how close they are to the family. Any time you go to a Lao person’s house, the food is endless!”
“In times of joy and happiness, we have big celebrations and everyone brings something to the table. We love to include everyone, regardless of who they are, and especially around the dining table. There’s a saying that at gatherings, one of the dishes should be laab, symbolic for bringing in and sharing prosperity.”
“I love sharing Lao culture with my friends, from eating food and teaching them Lao phrases to having them participate in the temple’s ceremonies and festivities.””
“I hope that in the future, Lao culture will be more mainstream and that people will no longer have to say, ‘Laos? What’s that? Where is that?’”
